Casing head for oil wells



April 19,1927.

J. E. SNODGRASS GASING HEAD FOR OIL wELLs Filed June l2. 1926 Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

UNITED 4STATES enterar carica. f

JOSPH E. SNODGRASS, OF AMARILLO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOB ONE-TERE T0 LEON' VICTOR LIENEARD, 0F AMARILLO, TEXAS.

CASING HEAD FOR OIL WELLS.

Application led ,Tune 12,

rI`his invention relates to casing heads for oil wells and more particularly to a device of this character which may be Nernployed for packing ofi wells which are gasing.

A more specic object of the invention is to provide4 a device of this character which may be readily applied to dthe casing and tubing or inner and outer casingl of an oil well either during construction or operation thereof to pack od the leaking gas.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be very readily applied, which will be durable and efficient in service and a general improvement in the art.

'Ihese and other objects I attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein for the purposev of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein'z- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing a casing head constructed in accordance with my invention with the parts in position ready for the lowering of the inner casing section; i

Figure 2 is a similar section showing the inner casing section lowered into position and the seal eecttd,l Y y Figure is a section on the line 3--3 of Figure 2. i

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 10 'generally designates the-outer and 11 the inner casing of an oil well. 'Ihe inner casing 11 may be the tubing of the well or smaller casing which is being-led through the larger casing 10. The upper end of the casing 10 is pro vided with a coupling 12 of any suitable character. In accordance with my invention, I provide a body 13 having a bore 14 of the same size asthe bore of ,the casing and adapted atlits lower end, as at 15, for engagement with the coupling 12. Adjacent its lower end, the body is formed with openings 16 for the attachment of outlet pipes' 17 for the passage of gas, oil or water which is packed off by the head.

Above these openings, the bore 14 hasa relatively abrupt conical enlargement 18, so that the bore expands upwardly. f From the upper end of the enlargement 18, the bore continues to enlarge toward its upper end, as indicated at 19, or at a much smaller angle to the main bore than the enlargement 18. A sleeve 20 is provided, the exterior ieee. serial no. 115,566. y

surface of which has the same taper as the portion 19 of the bore and the sleeve is preferably of such size that its outer face seats on the tapered portion 19 of the bore when the upper ends of the sleeve and body 13 are aligned with one another. The lower end of this sleeve is constructed, as at 21, to permit attachment thereof of a packer 22, the lower end of which yhas its ou'ter face beveled at the same angle as the enlargement I8 of the bore 14. The sleeve and packer have a bore 23 preferably of approximately y the same size as the bore of the casing l0 andv this bore adjacentthe upper end of the sleeve increases in diameter upwardly, as at 24, so that a downwardly tapering sectionA It will, of course, be understood that theY installation of the device, after the body 10 has been securedr to the .outer casing,- the sleeve 20 is slipped over the inner casing section 11 and dropped into the bore atthe upper end of the sleeve. The slips 25 are then placed in position and the casing section 11 allowed to lower, so that these slips. will engage with the sleeve 2O and by the application of the weight of the casing section ll thereto, the sleeve 20 through the slips causesl the sleeve 20 to move downwardly, so that the packer 22 is swaged inwardly by the tapered wall of the'l enlarged portion'1`8 of the bore and comes into sealing engagement with the surface of the casing section l1. The packer 22 may be of any suitable character, rubber or lead being preferred for this purpose. If desired, setscrews may be introduced thro/ugh openings 27-to engage the sleeve 20 and maintain the same in sealing position,l so thatv a seal may be provided during slight vertical shifting movements of thetubing 1l.`

Since the construction hereinbefore set forth is obviously capable of a certain range of change and modication without materially departing from the spirit of the invention, I do not limit myself to such speciic structure except as hereinafter claimed.

Ipclaimz- 1. In a casing head for oil wells embodying inner andouter casings, a. body adapted to be attached to the outer casing and having a bore increasing in diameter toward its upper end, a sleeve to surround the inner casing and externally formed to fit within the tapered portion at the upper end of the bore, a packing carried by the lower end of the sleeve, slips for engagement with the inner casing and with the sleeve to lock the sleeve to the inner casing for downward movement with the inner casing and a forming shoulder at the lower end of the tapered bore of said body for directing the packing inwardly during downward movement of the sleeve to thereby force it into engage'- ment with the inner casing.

2. In a casing head for oil wells embodying inner and outer casings, a body adapted to be attached to the outer casing and hav ing a bore increasing in diameter toward its upper end, a sleeve to surround the inner casing and externally formed to fit within the tapered portion atthe upper end of the bore, a packing carried by the lower end of the sleeve, `slips for engagement with the inner casing and with the sleeve to lock the sleeve to the inner casing for downward movement with the inner casing and a forining shoulder at the lower end of the tapered bore of said body for directing the packing inwardly during downward movement of the the sleeve to thereby force it into enagement with the inner casing, said slips 0' tting the bore of the sleeve when the upper surfaces thereof are flush with the upper end of the sleeve.

3. In a casing head for oil wells embodying inner and outer casings, ay body ada ted to be attached to the outer casing and liaving a bore increasing in diameter toward its upper end, a sleeve to surround the inner casing and externally formed to fit within the tapered portion at the upper end of the bore, a packing carried by the lower end of the sleeve, slips for engagement with the inner casing and with the sleeve to lock the sleeve to the inner casing for downward movement with the inner casing and a forming shoulder at the lower end of the tapered bore of said body for directing the packing inwardly during downward movement of the sleeve to thereby force yit into engagement with the inner casing, said slips fitting the bore of the sleeve when the upper surfaces thereof are flush with the upper end of the sleeve, said sleeve fitting the tapered bore of the body when the upper end of the sleeve is flush with the upper end of the body.

4. In a casing head for oil wells embodying inner and outer casings, a body adapted to be attached to the outer casing and having a bore increasing in diameter toward its upper end7 a sleeve to surround the inner casing and externally formed to fit within the tapered portion at the upper end of the bore, a packing carried by the lower end of the sleeve, slips for engagement with the inner' casing and with the sleeve t0 lock the sleeve to the inner casing for downward movement with the inner casing and a forming shoulder at the lower end of the tapered bore of said body for directing the packing inwardly during downward movement of the sleeve to thereby force it into engagement with the inner casing, said body between its point of attachment with the casing and said forming shoulder being provided with outlets.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOSEPH E. sNoDGRAss. 

